CNN boss told Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper and 100 other journalists not to 'express outrage' during Trump inauguration: report

CNN boss Mark Thompson told more than 100 journalists and top on-air talent including Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper that they ought to avoid “pre-judging” President Donald Trump while cautioning them “against expressing any outrage of their own” during the inauguration, according to a report.Thompson convened a virtual editorial meeting on Sunday that included Tapper, Cooper and scores of other senior news personalities to discuss CNN’s coverage of the inaugural ceremonies that took place the next day in Washington, DC, according to the Status newsletter.During the meeting, CEO Thompson “made it clear that he did not want the coverage to relitigate the past,” according to Status reporter Oliver Darcy — an allusion to CNN’s historically hostile relationship with Trump.Thompson asked his charges to avoid editorializing as well as to steer coverage away from focusing on Trump’s legal problems, including convictions for falsifying business documents related to the alleged Stormy Daniel “hush money” payment, according to the report.Instead, he urged CNN staffers to focus on Trump’s second term and to be “open-minded” about the next four years, according to Status.A CNN spokesperson declined to comment.At the end of the call, Thompson reportedly opened the floor to allow staffers to ask questions, but nobody spoke up, the report said.“What Thompson and other top brass had communicated was clear and none of the meeting participants apparently had the desire to question the guidance,” Darcy wrote.On Tuesday, Thompson convened yet another virtual editorial call to reiterate his message.Thompson told CNN staff that they should remain “tough-minded” in coverage while at the same time being “fair-minded,” according to Status.During the call, Virginia Moseley, CNN’s executive editor, joked that CNN was “out of practice” handling the relentless news cycle generated by Trump, a challenge that will quickly intensify in the coming ye...